Egg carton



April 3, 1934. P. BERK'EY ,9 3,

EGG CARTON I Filed Jan. 30, 1952 Patented A r. 3, 1934 EGG CARTON Peter Berkey, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Self-Locking CartonCompany, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application January '30, 1932, Serial No. 589,849

2 Claims.

The present invention relates to egg cartons and has particular reference to improvements in the transverse cell-forming partitions which are characteristic of cartons of this type.

A principal object of the invention is the provision of means adjacent and beneath the carton cover for supporting the same against downward movement from pressure against the upper side thereof.

An additional object is to provide means for protecting eggs held in said carton from damage.

Still another object is to construct the transverse cell-forming partitions of an egg carton and the side walls of the saine in such a manner 15 as to form a firm support for the cover, to protect the eggs, and to render the movable from the carton.

While my invention will be recognized as having general application, it will be described by reference to a particularly advantageous modification in which the carton is made of a single blank, cut, folded, and glued to form two rows of cells.

' Cartons of this general type are described, for example, in Troyk Patent No. 1,766,155.

I My invention includes the provision of trans verse partitions which extend above one of the side walls of the carton and contact the under side of the cover. The aforesaid Troyk patent discloses transverse partitions extending upwardly to contact the under side of the cover, but due to the particular structure of the Troyk carton these upwardly extending portions of the transverse partitions were too small to be of sumcient strength to adequately support the cover. More specifically, these upwardly extending portions tend to turn over when the cover is pressed downwardly. This fault is largely due to the removal from the top of each transverse partition sufl'icient material to provide hooks for engagement with the longitudinal partition.

In accordance with my invention the carton is so constructed that the upper portion of the transverse partitions are of suilicient width to provide adequate support for the cover.

The various features of :novelty whereby my eggs easily re.-

invention is characterized will hereinafter be pointed out with particularity in the claims; but, for a full understanding of my invention and of its objects and advantages, reference may be had to the following detailed description taken in con-- nection with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a carton embodying my invention, the cellular structure being shown Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 2, showing a modification; and

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Figs. 2 and 4, showing still another modification.

The carton illustrated in the drawing is made from a single blank constituting front and rear walls, 1 and 2, a vertical, central longitudinal par-- tition 3 of double thickness, two bottom wall sections 4 and 5 sloping downwardly and laterally in opposite directions from the lower edge of the partition 3, to the lower edges of the front and rear walls respectively, a top wall extending from the upper edge of the front wall to a point on the rear wall somewhat below the upper edge of the latter, and an attaching strip 6 on the top wall glued to the rear wall. The top wall is punched and cut to divide it into a series of flaps or cross partitions 7 and 8, each extending entirely across the carton from front to rear; each flap or cross partition being connected to the" front wall and to the attaching strip 6 by means of triangular pieces 9 and 10, respectively; one side of each triangle joining the corresponding flap or cross wings or cross partitions may be swung from positions in the same horizontal plane into positions at right angles to said plane; the first positions being represented by the two left hand flaps or partitions in Fig. l, and the other positions being that of the remaining cross partitions in Fig. 1. It will be noted that these hinge axes are about midway between the long transverse edges of the cross partitions, so that when these partitions are swung down, portions thereof will lies below the upper edge of the front wall 1 and other portions will extend up above the top of the front wall.

The carton is provided with the usual cover 12 which is an upward extension of the rear wall 2.

This cover, as is customary in cartons of this type, has at its long free edge a flange 13 provided with the usual hooks 14 adapted to be engaged under the triangular pieces 9, when the cover is closed, and hold the cover down.

- The parts of the cartons shown in Figs. 1-4 are so proportioned that the upper section of each transverse partition constitutes a cross beam or carline to support the roof-like cover when the datter is closed. By making the transverse partitions. wide at the top, so that their upperedges are almost long enough to span the distance between the front and rear walls, they serve firmly to support the cover and enable it to withstand 5 comparatively heavy loads imposed upon the same.

The cross partitions may be so shaped that the cover will take a curved shape, when closed, being highest at the longitudinal center and curving 0 down gradually toward the front and the rear, as

shown in Figs. 1-3.

The longitudinal partition has deep notches 15 extending down into the same from the upper edge in registration with the transverse parti- Q5 tions when the latterare swung down. Each transverse partition has therein an opening or window 16, at or below the'upper edge of the vertical partition. The vertical partition is provided with lugs or projections 1'7, extending par- 0. tially across the notches 15 in position to snap into the openings or windows 16 in the cross par- I titions when the carton is set up. The parts are preferably also so proportioned that the transverse partitions extend down farther than the 5 lower ends of the notches 15 in the longitudinal partition; the transverse partitions being therefore provided at theirlower edges with central slots, as indicated at 18 and 19, that will receive the double thickness of that part of the longitudiq nal partition just below the notches 15,- and thereby hold the two sections of the longitudinal partition in contact with each other and prevent them from spreading apart.

' The transverse partitions may, of course, all be alike. In the arrangement shown, the lower edges of all of the transverse partitions, except the left hand partition in Fig. 1, are concave, being complementary in shape to the upper edges of-the aforesaid partitions. However, the left 53 hand partition may be cut square across at the end of the blank, as shown. Also, if desired, the upper part of the partition 20 at the right hand end of the carton may be cut off at the ends as indicated in Fig.3 in order to provide attaching pieces 21 for this partition that will be more nearly square than triangular as are the other attaching pieces. However, any or all of the partitions may be shaped at the top like the partition 20, or their upper edges may be made longer or 99 shorter. I

Instead of providing the carton with a 'curved roof or cover, the cover may bemade flat as indicated in Fig. 4. The carton shown in Fig. 4 is the same as that heretofore described, excepting ,,that the cross partitions have straight upper and lower edges, whereby the coverwill lie fiat when closed. In Fig. 4, the cover is indicated at 25, whereas 26 and 2'7 are partitions corresponding to partitions 'l and 20 in the first form; qo Itwill be seen that in Figs. 1-4, the longitudinal partition -3 does not extend up higher than the almost the entire upper half of each individual front wall of the carton. Therefore the upper ends of eggs housed in the carton project above both the front wall and the longitudinal partition when the cover is raised; therebyexposing egg to view and permitting each egg to be easily grasped to remove it from the carton. In Fig. 5, I have shown a modification in which the longitudinal partition30 is still lower or shallower.

Also, in Fig. 5, the upper edges of the cro partitions 31 are comparatively short, engaging only a longitudinal centralzone of the cover. The material which is left off at the tops of the cross partitions is added at the bottom in the form of triangular feet 32 that rest on the sections 4 and 5 of the bottom wall of the carton. The central portions of the cross partitions extend close to the lower edge of the longitudinal partition and have in the bottom shallow notches 33 corresponding to the notches or slots 18 and 19 in the other forms.

The carton of Fig. 5, although having only short roof supports, is perhaps even sturdier than the others because the cross partitions rest on the bottom wall of the carton near the front and rear. All three forms illustrated are, however, of simple, sturdy construction that will cushion and protect eggs-packaged therein, expose the eggs effectively to view when the cartons are opened, and'permit the eggs to be easily removed, one at a time.

While I have illustrated and described with particularity only a few forms of my invention, I donot desire to be limited to the specific details so illustrated and described; but intend to cover all forms and arrangements which come within the definitions of my invention constituting the appended claims.

I claim: 9

1. An egg carton, comprising a single blank out, folded and secured in the form of a cellular structure having front and rear walls, a longitudinal partition, a bottom wall, a series of hinged transverse partitions engaging said longitudinal partition, and acover, the cover when closed lying a substantial distance. above the top of said longitudinal partition, and the transverse partitions extending up to and engaging the under side of the cover for substantially the entire width of the car-ton. V

2. A carton composed of a blank cut, scored and folded to form a cover, a rear wall, a front wall of less height than the rear wall, cross partitions hinged tothe top of the front wall, an attaching strip hinged to the opposite side of said cross partitions and being secured to said rear wall, said cross partitions extending upwardly above said hinges to contact said coverover a substantial width and having openings completely surrounded by the material of the cross par- 35 titions located between the top and bottom thereof, a bottom and longitudinal partition-forming section, said section being drawn up in-inverted V-shape and having portions extending upwardly in contiguous relation from the apex of said V to a point below' and out of contact with said cover, and projections on said contiguous portions extending through the openings in said cross partitions to interlock said bottom and longitudinal partition section.

r PETER BERKEY. 

